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Gareth von Kallenbach (980 KP) rated The Watch (2012) in Movies
Aug 7, 2019
On the surface, life for Evan (Ben Stiller), appears to be ideal. He has a very nice home, a loving wife, a solid job as in upper management for Costco, and is very active in his suburban Ohio community. But Evan’s life is about to take an unexpected change when the night watchman for the store is found brutally murdered, leaving Evan distraught. Unhappy with the efforts of the local police force, Evan decides to form a community watch to solve the crime and to protect his beloved community.
In the new comedy The Watch, Stiller teams with comedy veterans Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and relative newcomer Richard Ayoade, who has had audience in stitches for the past three years on the phenomenally popular and funny British comedy The I.T. Crowd.
Vaughn plays Bob, a successful contractor who sees the neighborhood watch as an opportunity for some much needed guys’-nights-out. Bob’s wife travels often for work leaving him to watch over their teenage daughter who hs driven Bob to hysterical fits of extreme measures as he attempts to divert any unwanted male attention from her.
Hill plays Franklin, a unstable individual who still lives at home with his mother after flunking out of high school and failing every evaluation the police department entrance exam offered, especially the part concerning mental stability. Franklin views the watch as his opportunity to get back at the police force and to clean up the streets. Ayoade rounds out the group as Jamarcus who sees the group as his chance to get back into the social network and envisions calls from lonely women looking for protection as his golden opportunity.
As the group begins to bond, Evan becomes agitated as he is, by nature, an insecure individual who finds Bob’s growing popularity within the group to be a threat to him and his plan to solve the murder. Despite their initial awkwardness the team begins to make progress and discovers a much larger threat to the community in the form of a hostile alien force which is capable of assuming human identity. In a desperate race against time the watch must not only battle the alien threat but each other and their own insecurities and issues to come together and save the day.
The film was directed by Akiva Schaffer who made a name for himself as part of the Lonely Island Boys who’ve done some outrageously funny song parodies on Saturday Night Live as well as the film Superbad.
While there are some very funny moments in the film as well as some fun sci-fi action sequences, the talented cast appears to be playing it safe rather than going all out. Time and time again the cast appears to be holding back. This is not to say that they don’t have great moments. Unfortunately, the best parts of the film were ruined by the trailers. I spent the whole time waiting for things to be kicked to the next level which sadly never arrived.
There were some pacing issues with film as it dragged at times. There were also some plot holes but naturally with films of this type, a deep and complicated plot is not to be expected. In the end, while entertaining, the film was disappointing. It could’ve been so much more, especially with so much talent attached to it. Sadly pacing issues and a fairly generic plot lacking any real surprises keeps the film from reaching its potential.
In the new comedy The Watch, Stiller teams with comedy veterans Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill, and relative newcomer Richard Ayoade, who has had audience in stitches for the past three years on the phenomenally popular and funny British comedy The I.T. Crowd.
Vaughn plays Bob, a successful contractor who sees the neighborhood watch as an opportunity for some much needed guys’-nights-out. Bob’s wife travels often for work leaving him to watch over their teenage daughter who hs driven Bob to hysterical fits of extreme measures as he attempts to divert any unwanted male attention from her.
Hill plays Franklin, a unstable individual who still lives at home with his mother after flunking out of high school and failing every evaluation the police department entrance exam offered, especially the part concerning mental stability. Franklin views the watch as his opportunity to get back at the police force and to clean up the streets. Ayoade rounds out the group as Jamarcus who sees the group as his chance to get back into the social network and envisions calls from lonely women looking for protection as his golden opportunity.
As the group begins to bond, Evan becomes agitated as he is, by nature, an insecure individual who finds Bob’s growing popularity within the group to be a threat to him and his plan to solve the murder. Despite their initial awkwardness the team begins to make progress and discovers a much larger threat to the community in the form of a hostile alien force which is capable of assuming human identity. In a desperate race against time the watch must not only battle the alien threat but each other and their own insecurities and issues to come together and save the day.
The film was directed by Akiva Schaffer who made a name for himself as part of the Lonely Island Boys who’ve done some outrageously funny song parodies on Saturday Night Live as well as the film Superbad.
While there are some very funny moments in the film as well as some fun sci-fi action sequences, the talented cast appears to be playing it safe rather than going all out. Time and time again the cast appears to be holding back. This is not to say that they don’t have great moments. Unfortunately, the best parts of the film were ruined by the trailers. I spent the whole time waiting for things to be kicked to the next level which sadly never arrived.
There were some pacing issues with film as it dragged at times. There were also some plot holes but naturally with films of this type, a deep and complicated plot is not to be expected. In the end, while entertaining, the film was disappointing. It could’ve been so much more, especially with so much talent attached to it. Sadly pacing issues and a fairly generic plot lacking any real surprises keeps the film from reaching its potential.
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Lottie disney bookworm (1056 KP) rated The Once and Future Witches in Books
Sep 20, 2020
Thank you to Netgalley for luring me in with this recommendation and the gorgeous cover art. Thank you to Alix E Harrow for providing such an amazing story for this ARC review. All the opinions expressed below are my own.
"Witches and women's rights. Suffrage and spells. They're both...a kind of power...the kind we're not allowed to have."
I'm not often drawn to books involving witches to be honest. I love an annual viewing of Hocus Pocus (who doesn't?!) but that is usually where the affinity ends.
If anything can change my nonchalance, I suspect it may be Alix E. Harrow. This is the first piece of work I have read by the Hugo award winning writer and I don’t need any tarot cards to predict it will not be the last. From the outset of The Once and Future Witches I was hooked: the worldbuilding alone is amazing; you can immediately picture the mills, avenues, squares and slums of New Salem as well as the mysterious tower that pulls our three main characters together.
The three Eastwood sisters themselves are another work of art. Juniper, Agnes and Bella are fierce, formidable women in wildly different ways. They are also flawed, stubborn and quite frankly, inspirational: by linking women’s rights and witchcraft this fantasy novel suddenly becomes more real and relatable to the modern female reader, despite being set in 1893. We empathise, sympathise and rage right alongside the Eastwood sisters on their quest for equality in a male-controlled world.
However, not even witches can act alone and the Eastwood sisters have an amazing cast of supporting characters surrounding them. Impressively, not a single one of these characters can be accused of being two-dimensional: the character development that Harrow has invested into this novel is incredible and must have taken so much work! From the Suffragette’s secretary to the skin-crawling villain to the women and men fighting (and witching) side by side; every single character is substantial and memorable. The sarcasm within Juniper for example is hilarious and even the traditional figures of the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone refuse to conform to stereotypes: I LOVED it!
The format of this novel is very clever and practically forbids you from becoming too comfortable by peppering the main story with “witch-tales”. These complement rather than distract from the storyline and also provide small changes that make you smile – such as the tales of the Sisters Grimm.
Do not be fooled though: the use of witch-tales does not prevent The Once and Future Witches from being an incredibly modern piece of writing. Topics covered include sexuality, gender identity, feminism, race as well as smashing the patriarchy: all interspersed with magic, betrayal and a hell of a lot of emotion.
I would however argue that some topics are slightly too mature for the novel to be considered YA, the description of torture and suggestions of sexual abuse probably push this book firmly into general/adult fantasy fiction novels.
The Once and Future Witches is a future bestseller in my opinion. This unique, powerful novel provides characters that you can’t help but empathise with; slow-burning, intense relationships; the trials and tribulations that come with sisterhood and plot twists at every turn.
This book will swallow you heart and soul, make you laugh, make you cry and leave you bereft at the end.
It is a must read!
"Witches and women's rights. Suffrage and spells. They're both...a kind of power...the kind we're not allowed to have."
I'm not often drawn to books involving witches to be honest. I love an annual viewing of Hocus Pocus (who doesn't?!) but that is usually where the affinity ends.
If anything can change my nonchalance, I suspect it may be Alix E. Harrow. This is the first piece of work I have read by the Hugo award winning writer and I don’t need any tarot cards to predict it will not be the last. From the outset of The Once and Future Witches I was hooked: the worldbuilding alone is amazing; you can immediately picture the mills, avenues, squares and slums of New Salem as well as the mysterious tower that pulls our three main characters together.
The three Eastwood sisters themselves are another work of art. Juniper, Agnes and Bella are fierce, formidable women in wildly different ways. They are also flawed, stubborn and quite frankly, inspirational: by linking women’s rights and witchcraft this fantasy novel suddenly becomes more real and relatable to the modern female reader, despite being set in 1893. We empathise, sympathise and rage right alongside the Eastwood sisters on their quest for equality in a male-controlled world.
However, not even witches can act alone and the Eastwood sisters have an amazing cast of supporting characters surrounding them. Impressively, not a single one of these characters can be accused of being two-dimensional: the character development that Harrow has invested into this novel is incredible and must have taken so much work! From the Suffragette’s secretary to the skin-crawling villain to the women and men fighting (and witching) side by side; every single character is substantial and memorable. The sarcasm within Juniper for example is hilarious and even the traditional figures of the Maiden, the Mother and the Crone refuse to conform to stereotypes: I LOVED it!
The format of this novel is very clever and practically forbids you from becoming too comfortable by peppering the main story with “witch-tales”. These complement rather than distract from the storyline and also provide small changes that make you smile – such as the tales of the Sisters Grimm.
Do not be fooled though: the use of witch-tales does not prevent The Once and Future Witches from being an incredibly modern piece of writing. Topics covered include sexuality, gender identity, feminism, race as well as smashing the patriarchy: all interspersed with magic, betrayal and a hell of a lot of emotion.
I would however argue that some topics are slightly too mature for the novel to be considered YA, the description of torture and suggestions of sexual abuse probably push this book firmly into general/adult fantasy fiction novels.
The Once and Future Witches is a future bestseller in my opinion. This unique, powerful novel provides characters that you can’t help but empathise with; slow-burning, intense relationships; the trials and tribulations that come with sisterhood and plot twists at every turn.
This book will swallow you heart and soul, make you laugh, make you cry and leave you bereft at the end.
It is a must read!
Sarah (7800 KP) rated Mulan (2020) in Movies
Dec 18, 2020
Completely uninteresting
Mulan (2020) is the live action adaptation of the 1998 Disney animation of the same name, the latest in the live action remakes of Disney classics based on a young woman who disguises herself as a male soldier to save her father.
I’ll start with an admission: I’ve never seen the original animated Mulan. Despite being an avid Disney fan, growing up living and breathing everything Disney, somehow as an eleven year old when it was first released Mulan just passed me by, and has carried in doing so in the 20+ years since. Unlike the other live action Disney remakes in which I had so many preconceptions and so much love for the originals, I went into Mulan entirely open and with no expectations. This I hoped would prove to be a benefit when watching this remake, however I’m afraid to say that it actually may have put me at even more of a disadvantage.
The biggest issue with this film is that is entirely lacking in everything you’d usually expect from an animated Disney film and what I don’t doubt is present in the 1998 original. Disney films are full of heart, laughter, cutesy creatures and catchy songs whilst with an underlying serious plot with more menace and threat than you’d expect. This remake appears to have removed everything you know and love about Disney and replaced it with a very serious, very drawn out and actually quite dull plot. Yes there is still the good message in here that hopefully will motivate young women, but it’s lost behind a film that is severely lacking in any really spirit or character.
Yifei Liu does well as Mulan, at least with what she’s given to work with as far as the script goes. However she really suffers with the romance side, as there is zero chemistry between Mulan and Honghui, even with Yoson An’s charismatic performance. Jet Li is barely recognisable as the Emperor and Donnie Yen really needed to channel more of his Rogue One character to lighten the mood. Even the villains, Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee) and Xianniang (Li Gong) have little to work with, with Xianniang’s witch being let down by the most by the poor writing and character development.
The cast however aren’t really at fault here. The film looks good, the sets and costumes are impressive and everything feels lush and colourful. However I felt the action scenes had been so obviously ‘Disney-fied’ that they lost all sense of fun and, well, action. They felt over choreographed and with the large amount of fight scenes in this, the lack of proper violence and blood was far too obvious. And the over-used slow motion alongside some questionable CGI was unbearable. Considering they wanted to make this a more accurate and serious Disney adaptation, it’s a shame they didn’t go far enough to make the action a little more adult.
I really wanted to like this, but for me it was just severely deficient in anything that makes a Disney film likeable. Had I seen the original, it may have at least brought some form of love and nostalgia. However all this has succeeded in doing is making me want to watch the original, both as a comparison and for some much needed fun and laughter.
I’ll start with an admission: I’ve never seen the original animated Mulan. Despite being an avid Disney fan, growing up living and breathing everything Disney, somehow as an eleven year old when it was first released Mulan just passed me by, and has carried in doing so in the 20+ years since. Unlike the other live action Disney remakes in which I had so many preconceptions and so much love for the originals, I went into Mulan entirely open and with no expectations. This I hoped would prove to be a benefit when watching this remake, however I’m afraid to say that it actually may have put me at even more of a disadvantage.
The biggest issue with this film is that is entirely lacking in everything you’d usually expect from an animated Disney film and what I don’t doubt is present in the 1998 original. Disney films are full of heart, laughter, cutesy creatures and catchy songs whilst with an underlying serious plot with more menace and threat than you’d expect. This remake appears to have removed everything you know and love about Disney and replaced it with a very serious, very drawn out and actually quite dull plot. Yes there is still the good message in here that hopefully will motivate young women, but it’s lost behind a film that is severely lacking in any really spirit or character.
Yifei Liu does well as Mulan, at least with what she’s given to work with as far as the script goes. However she really suffers with the romance side, as there is zero chemistry between Mulan and Honghui, even with Yoson An’s charismatic performance. Jet Li is barely recognisable as the Emperor and Donnie Yen really needed to channel more of his Rogue One character to lighten the mood. Even the villains, Bori Khan (Jason Scott Lee) and Xianniang (Li Gong) have little to work with, with Xianniang’s witch being let down by the most by the poor writing and character development.
The cast however aren’t really at fault here. The film looks good, the sets and costumes are impressive and everything feels lush and colourful. However I felt the action scenes had been so obviously ‘Disney-fied’ that they lost all sense of fun and, well, action. They felt over choreographed and with the large amount of fight scenes in this, the lack of proper violence and blood was far too obvious. And the over-used slow motion alongside some questionable CGI was unbearable. Considering they wanted to make this a more accurate and serious Disney adaptation, it’s a shame they didn’t go far enough to make the action a little more adult.
I really wanted to like this, but for me it was just severely deficient in anything that makes a Disney film likeable. Had I seen the original, it may have at least brought some form of love and nostalgia. However all this has succeeded in doing is making me want to watch the original, both as a comparison and for some much needed fun and laughter.